JULIAN CARR
Julian is Chief Executive of Ethos Partners and has extensive experience of private equity investing in the UK.
His interest in private business commenced driving metal bars in a van around the Midlands for his father’s precision engineering company and he remembers well the impact of the 1970s oil crisis on his family plastics injection moulding business.
He commenced his private equity career in 1990 with Natwest Ventures (Bridgepoint) and went on to join Hg Capital and Lloyds Development Capital. He set up a property development business before joining Connection Capital in 2012 where he was instrumental in building up their direct Private Equity business.
He has completed 35 Buy Out and Growth Capital investments across a wide range of sectors. These include Shire Pharmaceuticals (now FTSE 100) as a fledgling company and Cambridge Silicon Radio, the bluetooth company (FTSE 250.) He has particular interest in leisure, software, and IT and business services but generally just enjoys ‘business’ and has served on 25 boards.
Latterly he has invested in the £13m MBO of Virgin Wines and placed £5m growth capital into phone recycling business Redeem. In 2017, he realised returns for investors of 3.1x money in Impero education software with a £27m exit having invested as a £9m MBO in 2014; and delivered 4.1x money in Teamsport Go Karts which he backed as a £8m MBO in February 2013 and saw through to a successful realisation in October 2017 into which he was able to introduce Ethos investors as a secondary buyout.
Julian has a Law degree and qualified as a Chartered Accountant in the insolvency division of PriceWaterhouse Coopers where he learned ‘what not to do’ in business. He is wary of Rolls Royces and flag posts in the company car park.
Interests: skiing, sailing, cycling, spending time with his family.
